THE ART OF WAR – Meadows of Conflicts

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask: ‘Mother, what was war?'” – Eve Merriam

Sometimes I am deeply stuck between the two sophisticated sides of coins – war and peace. Some experts of social reforms (lawyers of submissions) claim that war is noble to create peace. In few cases, peace becomes an art of deception to frame a war, reconciling depravity.

Segmentation of ‘Man’ differs with words he follow and give at once. Few words alarm the falsification of righteousness and reflect ego factor. Flesh and bones, cells and veins unite to bargain human ego to sustain the cradle of indignity and culprit the affected.

Stubbornness shake the zero-movement of determination, jealousy and anger recruits assassins of loyalty, rudeness hires counselor of injustice in the state of hate, deception chesses the throne and disappointment bleeds the regime of treasury, oops I mean treachery*.

Result? peace is countless in pieces, negotiations turn into egotiations, unity is rattled and differences are settled. Raw becomes jaguar’s paw and scars of the beatings aid war.

So I am deeply stuck between the two sophisticated sides of coins – war and peace. Human races through millenniums and centuries have witnessed over a scores of wars and more than a thousand battles.

“Casualties – mockery to humanity or shall I say it was the other name of calamities”

The best example is World War II which unarguably has the biggest number of death toll with approximately 60 million – 80 million casualties. Invasions and conquests of Mongol Empire lies second to death troll estimated at nearly 30 million to 60 million casualties. But still there is a major difference in events of war casualties happening in time period. By time, WWII was historically the worst carnage.

If I consider 60 million similar figure from both the wars, then it took 118 years in Mongol Empire case (1206-1324) to total that figure as compared to only 6 years in WWII (1939-1945). That means over 508 thousand casualties per year or over 42,372 casualties per month or almost 1400 casualties per day or 58 casualties per hour or a casualty in almost 50 seconds in Mongol Invasions and Conquests as compared to 10 million casualties per year or over 833 thousand casualties per month or 27,400 casualties per day or almost 1150 casualties per hour or 19 casualties per minute in WWII.

In a picture that captures the violence and sheer destruction inherent in war perhaps more graphically than any other ever published in LIFE, Marines take cover on an Iwo Jima hillside amid the burned-out remains of banyan jungle, as a Japanese bunker is obliterated in March 1945.In a photo that somehow comprises both tenderness and horror, an American Marine cradles a near-dead infant pulled from under a rock while troops cleared Japanese fighters and civilians from caves on Saipan in the summer of 1944. The child was the only person found alive among hundreds of corpses in one cave.

“Weapons and Ammunitions – they kept upgrading with the passage of time from stones to drones”

> Use of gunpowder firearms and field artillery can be traced back in early 16th century when Babur and his 15,000 men fought Ibrahim Lodiand his army more than double of former in the first Battle of Panipat. Lodi also fought with 1000 war elephants but Babur’s warfare strategic move of usage of cannons hit hard on Lodi’s elephants as the animals got scared and collapsed on firing sounds of cannons. Elephants collapsed on Lodi’s own men which swiftly reduced all chances of winning the battle over Babur. Despite the fact, Lodi’s were more than double, Babur convincingly won the battle, killed Lodi with more than 15,000 casualties stamped under Lodi’s. That battle marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire.

> Even uniforms and safety kits like helmets and shields were upgraded with the passage of time. By the time of World War I, most of the soldiers were fighting in war wearing cloth caps. In 1915, metal helmets were introduced by the French.

> Arrows have been hood’s best friend and there have been many failed attempts by the opponents. But what if I tell you that once in history of wars, the enemies gifted their opponents the weapon to prove their genius attempt towards suicide?? No I am not talking about Oliver Queen!!!

In Tang Dynasty, there was a Chinese general, Zhang Xun. In 756 A.D., once in a battle, his troop ran out of arrows and were in no position to fight the battle and take on opponents. General came up with a strategy and ordered his troops to play war drums and make noises the same night to make the enemies sense a sudden attack. The troops then placed and lowered straw dummies down the wall. The dummies became warrior and the enemies shot many arrows as possible. That was not enough, Zhang Xun risked the bizarre and entirely risky strategy the next night again and enemies again took no notice and shot more. Enough stock of arrows to conquer!!

Elements on earth are compromised with the sieging of inhabitants armed with tools of combat. Sometimes they are called soldier, sometimes rebel, sometimes dacoit, sometimes saint and have many other names.

For centuries, the kings, the commanders, the generals, the militants have been under process to occupy the land of other and put on law and order. This was the surviving theory in order to live long and in peace. One army/empire entered the other land, fought with them and occupied. There were two options for you and there still is – either you rule or get ruled over, either you fight or stay a casualty, either you raise your voice or just hear (if not listen).

There were strategies in war, formed and implemented. Followed like Bible, hard as marble. All combatants who fought each other in every war, were tested by the formation of strategies. Armies were divided/subdivided, ranks were graded among the officers, field attack probabilities were measured on their navigational maps, warfare wages and expenses were counted, weak and strong factors of both sides were considered, combat fields were tested, marching orders were roared, maneuvering were practiced, hostages were either unharmed in the name of peace or enjoyed with lust. With all these numbers, the one army who subjected and framed these in more better and superlative ways tasted victory, occupied the land and ruled.

With that practice, many empires entered the aura and left, some ruled with agony and suddenly disappeared, some ranks later became pranks but some survived and lived for long with pride.

The Art of War will continue. Thanks for the read and you may give your opinion below and share with your fellow readers. Keep calm and wait for the next chapter….